Footprints In Time
by yggdrazil
Summary: In the middle of a great war between the Doctor and the Daleks, the 11th Doctor loses his memory. The Doctor, assisted by Amy Pond, decides to track down all of his past companions to piece together his life story. He has to retrace his footprints in time
1. Introduction

**Introduction**

_The Dalek hurtled towards him. The Doctor stood there and grinned, staring directly at its eyepiece. This Dalek was about to join the heap of mechanical Dalek parts lying on the floor. The Doctor had used a magnetic pulse to disable the Daleks weapons, leaving them useless. This final one was coming at him with brute strength. _

_The Doctor wasn't vain, he was quite humble, in fact. But he couldn't help but show off this feat a little. Amy had fainted as the Magnetic pulse went off, and had no idea the Doctor had disabled the Daleks weapons. As the girl lifted up her head, covered with long and matted red hair, she saw the Doctor looking at her. He fixed his bow tie, then pulled out his sonic and flipped it in the air, before turning back to the Dalek._

_The Doctor wanted to make a spectacular show out of this. He steadied the hand holding the sonic screwdriver, preparing to jab it up the disabled gun arm of the Dalek in front of him. His lips curled into a grin. His smile displayed pristine, bleached white teeth. Then, The Dalek was right in front of him._

_The Doctor jabbed the Sonic Screwdriver up into the glossy chrome barrel of the Daleks artillery appendage and yelled…_

"_Geronim…"_

"_NOOOOOOOO!" Amy, not knowing about the disabled gun had mistaken The Doctor for being in grave danger. In a drastic attempt she threw herself onto the Dalek, grabbed the gun arm and heaved. With superhuman strength and the weakened Dalek metal, the arm bent and then snapped clean off, all while still holding the embedded sonic screwdriver._

_Horror filled the Doctor's eyes, "What have you…"_

_Deep inside the arm Amy held, the circuits went into lockdown. They were programmed in case of such an event to explode, and that is just what they did. Only, the connected Sonic Screwdriver amplified the mechanism within the arm, magnifying the explosion tenfold. _

_As if time itself slowed, the Doctor began to shake his head, and a tear rolled down his cheek. Amy realized her mistake, and her mouth fell open. She saw her fate, and knew she would soon be with her husband Rory, who had met his end in the start of this war which Doctor now raged with the Daleks, which had started with the reemergence of the Master's rescue and joining with Davros. She sighed..._

_BOOM!_

_Amy was thrown upward in the explosion. The explosion had seeped into the temporal shift mechanism of the Dalek and now began to tear open the very fabric of time. The Doctor was catapulted into the air, among a vortex of debris. One such debris was the TARDIS, now exploded upward, and the Doctor collided into it. Auton energy seeped through a wound in his head into the ship. _

_The universe and timeline began the process of mending the rip that had been caused by the explosion. And in doing so, all caught debris are dematerialized and rematerialized a safe distance away while time fixes itself. If it had not been for this, Amy would have died. As they dematerialized, her most fatal wounds were healed._

_Amy woke up the next day, mid afternoon. They were in the middle of a field littered with all sorts of debris, in what looked like a Dalek graveyard. She slowly got to her feet, rubbing her eyes furiously. As the blurred vision cleared, she saw the TARDIS in front of her. She ran through the debris, hurtling over mangled Dalek metal, and and as she approached the ship, she saw the Doctor was lying limp on top of it. _

_The Doctor's eyes fluttered open. He couldn't stop rubbing his head, which felt hollow and empty. He looked down and saw a head of crimson hair._

_Amy found that the explosion had blurred her memory, but she could remember the basics of her journey. She was Amy Pond, he was her Imaginary time traveling friend, The Doctor._

"_What's happening?" The Doctor moaned from above. "Who are you?"_

"_I'm Amy!"_

"_Oh, what a strange name…I wish I had a strange name…What is my name again?"_

_Amy smiled as she realized the Doctor's memory probably blurred a little as well. "You are the Doctor!"_

"_The Doctor?" The Doctor said inquisitively._

_Amy frowned. She saw a difference, not in the appearance of the Doctor, but in his eyes. They were usually so old, but now they were as young as a baby's._

"_The Doctor?" He asked. "Doctor Who?"_


	2. Amy Pond

**Amy Pond**

Amy Pond lost it. She and the Doctor had only just gone to Skaro when the war had started, Rory had been killed, and they were forced to run again. They had been running ever since, being perpetually catapulted from one time to the next. She hadn't had time even to grieve for her lost husband in all of the chaotic turmoil, and was forced to repress it. But now, the Doctor had lost all of his memories, and she was alone. All of the repressed emotions burst out of her like a geyser and as tears streamed down her cheeks, she let out an ear-shattering screech.

"Ow!" The Doctor whined, rubbing his temples. "What you do that for?"

Amy did not respond. She curled down on the grassy ground amongst the Dalek debris and wrapped her arms around herself. She sobbed silently as her body began to shake violently.

Silently and without hesitation, The Doctor jumped down off the TARDIS roof, doing a tuck roll as he hit the ground. He then got up, brushed off his suit, fixed his bow tie, and walked towards Amy.

Amy's sobbing paused a moment as she felt arms on her shoulders. The actual act of physical contact then brought back another wave of pain and Amy buried her face in the Doctor's jacket. He held her and kept his arms around her, comforting her, protecting her.

_But Why? _Amy thought. _Why was he comforting her if he couldn't even remember her?_

Amy slowly peeked her head out of the comfortable warmth of the Doctor and stared up at him. She had been wrong. While the eyes were still as empty as they were before, they were still as kind and compassionate as they had always been. She had not lost him. This was a man who would stop and comfort a person on the street if that is what they needed, even if they were a stranger to him. He was still The Doctor, and nothing would ever change that.

Warmth filled Amy's heart. Here was a man who had lost everything, his entire race, and now his memory too, and yet he was still trying to protect her, even though he didn't remember her. Amy was ready to change that. She would help the Doctor, and helped give him everything he needed through this time. No matter what, she would never abandon him.

"OK, Doctor, Ok! Thanks, pal, but I think it's time to get moving on! C'mon!" Amy said as she got up, reached down and yanked the Doctor up with her.

"Where are we going?" The Doctor asked, with an edge of excitement in his voice.

"In there!" Amy said with a smile, pointing at the TARDIS.

"What? That's a Police Box!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"Snap your fingers!" Amy said.

"What? Why…"

"Just SNAP YOUR FINGERS!" Amy mandated.

The Doctor, doubt etched onto his face, although his eyes sparkled with curiosity, held out his fingers. He paused, put his middle finger and forefinger together and…

SNAP!

The doors to the TARDIS swung open, sending the Doctor's jaw dropping. Then she led him inside and he squealed. He bounced up and down, "It's bigger…"

"On the Inside!" Amy concluded.

The Doctor ran around the console like a child with a new toy. "I feel…" The Doctor thought a moment, desperately searching his empty mind for the right word. "Home."

Amy laughed. "Welcome home then, Doctor. Welcome Home."

Amy smiled and watched the Doctor run around and fiddle with controls, and she happily obliged any questions about the function of the Time And Relative Dimension In Space. But then, he started asking about his past.

"What about me?" He asked. "Who am I, Really?"

Amy frowned. "I don't know much about your past, just about when you met me. I was a little girl, and you were my imaginary friend..." Amy proceeded to recount their adventures together to the Doctor's amazement. She purposely omitted hard bits, like how he destroyed the Time Lords, hoping he would learn when the time was right.

"Okay! Then, let's go! TARDIS…um…activate? I want to find out about my past. Take me to where I need to go…OPENSAYSAME!" The Doctor cried out at the console board.

Amy laughed, "That's not how it works…" but to her astonishment, the TARDIS sound began to undulate as the TARDIS dematerialized and the console board appeared to be running itself. "What?" She gasped.

Then the monitor screen swung down towards them. Auton energy was radiating from it. It began to hum as a picture formed…

_Of Course! _Amy realized. _His head energy must have seeped Auton energy and part of the Doctor's memories into the TARDIS. It will follow through his past, take him from one part of his past to the next until he gets his memory back! But where were the going first._

The Monitor screen burst on and displayed on it was a single name…

"Donna Noble"

_Hmmm…A past companion, it has to be!_ Amy pondered. _Well, this is just another adventure with the Doctor. He may have lost his memory but he hasn't lost himself. He will always be the Doctor that I Know and love…_

As if to confirm this, the Doctor began giggling excitedly as he experienced travel through time and space. The excitement filled him, and he threw his head back and yelled…

"GERONIMO!"

_Classic Doctor,_ Amy thought with a smile.


	3. Donna Noble: Part 1

**Donna Noble**

_Part 1_

Donna Noble was sitting on the park bench. It was old and simple in design, and yet it remained very comfortable. Donna threw the newspaper she was reading down next to her in frustration. She forced herself to lean back, close her eyes and just relax.

_Her mind was a wonderful place, full of memories of events that had forged the strong, confident, independent woman that was Donna Noble. She reminisced about these events a lot recently._

_There was the time when her father had told her he was leaving. She had cried that night, but her granddad had told her that she had to be strong, and strong she had been. _

_Then there was those awful pig-tails that she had refused to put down as a child, and that had made her the victim of some cruel young students in her primary school years. Yet, when the bullies picked on her she would hold her ground, not afraid to take a swing at a few of them. She had won quite a few fights in those days._

_And of course, as she grew up, she remembered her good old granddad telling her never to change. That was a mantra that she took to heart, and she never did change. She stayed as strong as ever, and if people didn't like her, then that is their bloody problem, I'nt it?_

_Her endurance and personality were a force to be reckoned with. These traits alone assured her a spot as temporary secretary at the highly esteemed H.C. Clements firm in London. She held great pride in this position._

_Of course, being alone did hinder her steady progress and success in life. And she knew that she couldn't stay alone forever. In a feat that she often boasted about, she managed to work her 'magic' on Lance Bennett, quite the catch in her office. And soon, without all of the sappy emotions that she felt were unnecessary, they were engaged._

_Their wedding was perfectly designed as a union of a power couple. The Church and ceremony was flawless. And everything was set for the climactic moment when she would walk down the long, prestigious aisle in her immaculately traditional wedding dress. _

_She recalled all of the heads turning towards her as she appeared. And she remembered the superior feeling she absorbed as she saw the looks of awe, and jealousy, of course, on all of the faces. And so she began her walk towards the groom and her future, and then…_

…_Nothing…_

_Her memories failed for her there in a huge gaping hole like she had never experienced. The next thing she knew she was married and at her reception…but that wasn't it exactly, something was still wrong. She could see herself at the reception but something was omitted from this memory. It was as if someone had taken scissors and cut something, or someone, out of the images that her memory provided. Then there was a loud sound, momentary fear, and…_

…_More of the impossible blankness…The memories simply failed to be there. It was as if part of her did not exist. The next thing she knew Lance Bennett was dead and she was eating Christmas dinner. But for the life of her she couldn't remember how he died._

_After that, the blank voids that eclipsed her mind seemed to stop. Her memory appeared to be restored. She could recall a linear progress of event. How she had tried to explore the world, but really could never get around to it. Even more as she pursued life, and the feeling that something was missing that was present in that stage of her life._

Donna sighed, and opened her eyes. She didn't feel any better, but hell, what did a few bloody memories matter. She was Donna _Bloody _Noble, and she would eat her left foot before she let these stupid momentary blanks get in her way.

Donna lifted her elaborate purse and reached into it, pulling out a few pieces of torn bread. Determined to have a relaxed day, Donna tossed the pieces onto the crumbling cement path before her.

A few cute and furry chipmunks, plump with domestication of the amenities in the park, appeared. The waddled their way over to the crumbs and began to chow down.

Donna stomped her foot on the ground, her face turning a bright crimson. "Oi!" She bellowed at the helpless critters. "What the 'ell do you think your doin'. Those crumbs were for the BLOODY BIRDS!"

The chipmunks scrambled away, filled with terror from the horrifying woman. Sighing, Donna sat back down, and once again reclined and tried to remember.

_She recalled her dabble into the art of investigation. Specifically when she began to investigate the curious new Adipose diet pills. She did plenty of research and achieved strange findings. Her research called for more drastic measures. She recalled breaking into the offices. She stealthily approached the office. Slowly she went up and peered through the window, and found herself looking directly at…_

…_Nothing…only this nothing was far worse than before. This nothing expanded from that point across a huge portion of her memory. It was simply gone, leaving no traces behind._

_Eventually her memory picks up. Her next marriage. Winning the lottery. Her husband's lapses in fidelity. Her inevitable divorce. Then, her granddad's death. Her depression. Her memory definitely picked up, but she had never been the same. As long as these parts of her were missing, deep down in her heart Donna knew she could never keep her promise to her granddad and never change, because losing those parts had changed her. _

"You Donna Noble?"

Donna looked up. A kid was standing in front of her. Her was scrawny and his nose was smudged with dirt. In his arms her carried a small brow package.

"No I'm Pippa Middleton!" Donna sarcastically declared. "Yea, I'm Donna Noble. What you want?"

"A strange man asked me to give this to ya. Here!" The kid thrust the parcel at Donna. He proceeded to jump on his bicycle and ride away.

Donna thought how strange that was, but that was only the beginning. Suddenly, she saw a figure sprinting towards her. He was covered in a large brown cloak, the tail of which was flapping wildly behind him. A large hood shrouded his face. The man attacked her. Donna screamed, beginning to beat at him with her fists. The man wrenched the parcel free of her, then turned around and ran away.

Still aching and raving, muttering profanities under her breath in anger, Donna stood up. She stormed off down the path, towards the gate of the park. Only then did she hear a faint, vaguely familiar undulating noise. The noise grew louder and louder. The next thing she knew, a police box, as blue as the ocean, was in front of her.

_How in the world did that get there? Wait a moment, What in the world was a police box even doing in London in 2011. This day had become a nightmare of attacks and oddities. _

Then, a man stood in front of her. Behind him, the Police Box door was ajar, and a face of a flaming haired girl stared out. The man was clearly a freak, as he had floppy brown hair and a bowtie that Donna immediately abhorred. The man was staring all over in amazement and bewilderment, with a giddy, childish grin on his face. Then the man, suddenly noticing Donna, jumped a little. He looked back at the Police Box ginger, who nodded. Then he turned back to Donna, his head tilted like a curious dog.

"Donna Noble?" The goofy young man asked.

"Yea!" Donna said with attitude. "Who wants to know?"

"Exactly" The man said, and began to laugh like a maniac.


End file.
